Politik

If I was in the debates I’d be called a “flip-flopper”. And it’s true, I tend to flip-flop. I like to wear flip-flops. And despite loving living in Australia, I hate calling them thongs…but I digress.

Yet again, I’ve decided to stick with Keto. Yup. BUT I have realized some important things about myself. Meat is not appetizing to me. I like being vegetarian. and vegan. However, I also know that I feel physically the best on keto – or so it would seem. Since it has only been 2 months, I really can’t give it up yet, the experiment is not over. Plus, I really can’t get over the energy I have whilst in keto. It would seem though, that I desire to throw in the towel every 12-14 days. I know this because I actually cheat every 12-14 days (I keep a countdown on my iphone. every time I cheat I reset it – I have had a “cheat” day every 12-14 days. Including this sick day which was on day 12). How can that be when my weight, energy and physique (but apparently not my ability to combat illness) is the best it’s ever been? Shouldn’t I be ditching the carbs and my vegan dreams for good?

Here is how I propose to proceed on Keto:

1. mostly vegetarian – there’s no push to eat meat. I can have it if I want it, but there are plenty of other low carb things to eat such as tofu, salads, eggs, seeds, coconut, Boca crumbles…et al. I found this guys blog who is Keto or Low Carb High Fat (same same) and he is vegetarian. And he even explains that while he thinks eating meat may be more beneficial for his health or keto but ethically he doesn’t feel right eating meat, so he doesn’t. He does however, eat eggs and some dairy.

2. Not going vegan just yet. I feel eggs have been quite beneficial to me, my energy levels and all that jazz. Plus some cheese is fine. I successfully don’t rely on it for all my calories anymore.

3. I get a cheat day every 2 weeks. That’s right, I’m pretty much doing that anyway, but I feel like the best things in life are planned 😉 thats just me. If I know I can have something or everything, every 14 days, I might relax a bit. and it hasn’t hurt my abs thus far.

4. I started looking up more recipes. I panic when I feel my only quick food options are jello or cheese. Or protein powder. There’s only so much of that I can eat. and I can really overdo it on the sunflower seeds. Other low carb things that can fit into keto are – unsweetened soymilk, rutabaga cooked as potato (just read about that on http://www.peaceloveandlowcarb.blogspot.au), pumpkin – which I love but thought was too high in carbohydrates, but I was wrong, quinoa-thank you http://www.thefoodery.com, red peppers (why have I been avoiding them?), and oh my gosh, avocado. What’s wrong with me? Avocado is like a fabulous food group of its own!

5. I am going to start taking vitamins. Dan’s mom suggested it to me as I was lamenting how often I get sick. She eats very similarly to me (frequent dieting and all) and works out twice as much! She never gets sick – her advice, vitamins. I’m awful at vitamins, I feel like it’s cheating on food. But a multi wouldn’t hurt me and maybe some superfoods (like spirulina). at this point I’ll try almost anything to avoid another bout with the vomiting.

6. I’m sticking to under 50g of carbs. For now 🙂

I know this can all be very frustrating. I’m really trying to make food take a backseat in my life but it’s the foundation of our health, wellness and for me, since my body is my career, it affects that too. So I try for full disclosure on this blog as much as possible. That means putting my failings and foibles and flip-flopping out for all to see. But if anyone struggles with similar questions, well, maybe they’ll find comfort in my public display of confusion.

Seems your “cheats” are more like breaks from your regular diet because you are so well-disciplined! Vitamins are great, and I’ve also read that probiotics (found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchee, miso, and yogurt) can help your immune system. I eat 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 5x a week for lunch with chopped fruits and celery and it’s one of the few low-fat, low-calorie, protein- and vitamin-packed meals that won’t make me feel tired or bloated. Some fermented foods are high in salt, so you’ll have to watch out for that. Good luck!

you have great advice! I am trying to work myself into eating sauerkraut or kimchee, but I don’t like them. Fortunately I love miso, so I can definitely work that it! and yogurt – I luckily, after much searching, found full fat, whole milk yogurt (the only one with low enough carbohydrates for keto). I’m on an immune system raid. also, random, I think its the coconut that made me sick! I had coconut cream with chia seeds yesterday and was up all night trying not to vomit again, my stomach hurts – it’s really distended. I got a similar reaction and feeling when I tried eating coconut oil. I tend to not just eat something but to eat a ton of it. When I just sprinkle coconut on my salads I seem to be fine

It seems like we do a lot of food experiments to see which works for us, as well as what works against us! Don’t worry about forcing yourself to eat sauerkraut or kimchee, there’s also a good variety of Japanese style pickles made with thin slices of cucumber and radishes (tsukemono). If you want to be brave and try “natto” that may also be beneficial for you. Personally, I can’t stand the stuff…it smells rotten! 😀